April Paluka
  • Ph.D. Student

Biography

Chair: Dr. Sonia Hernandez

Research Interests

I study Contemporary Latin American history, with a focus on the protection of indigenous cultural heritage sites. I research how the Nazca Lines, an ancient indigenous site in Peru, has been threatened by mining interests. I am especially interested in the racial, social, and economic context of post-WWII Peru that led to the intentional destruction of the 2,000-year-old Nazca Lines in 2012. My other interests are Latin American commodities, Women and Gender, and Southwest Borderlands.

Awards & Honors

  • Larry W. and Judith Luckett Endowment (Fall 2019)
  • Departmental Summer Research Grants (2019 and 2020)
  • David Chapman Graduate Fellowship (Fall 2018)
  • Ben Powell Writing Award for MA Thesis (Spring 2016)

Selected Publications

  • Conference Presentations

    • “With an Audacity and Boldness that Is Rare: Female Andean Insurgents” (1780-1781) at the Rocky Mountain Council for Latin American Studies (RMCLAS) Conference in April 2018
    • “Mexican Americans in World War One: Private Emilio Gonzalez” at the 60th Annual Meeting of the American Studies Association of Texas in November 2016
    • “Protecting Peru’s Cultural Heritage” Thesis chapter presented at the 3rd Annual Woodlands Center Symposium in April 2016
    • “The Peruvian Cultural Attachment to Mining” Thesis chapter presented at the Phi Alpha Theta Biennial Convention in Orlando, Florida in January 2016
    • “Saving the Nazca Lines: The Destructive Powers of Mining in Peru” at the World History Association Conference in Savannah, Georgia in July 2015″